A review by cde10
Spartina by John Casey

3.0

I would not have picked this book up on my own, but I received it from my Used Books Monthly subscription. Spartina is the story of Dick, a man who’s decided he’s down on his luck, the rift he’s created with his wife and sons, and his ambitious project of building his own boat. It takes place in a small fishing town in Rhode Island, and the imagery of the ocean and salt marshes are great. For me the book falters when it’s gets into the nitty gritty boat language and in its depiction of the “modern 80s woman.” The author writes likes he’s never actually spoken to a real woman before - which is why I couldn’t rank this any higher.